Orphans
by sailormoonie17
Summary: What if Bruce Wayne adopted a girl too? The same age as Dick Grayson. What do you think would happen?
1. Chapter 1

**Be nice and review!! If you don't I might have to do something evil!!!**

**I know I should be working on my other story, but I've had this idea in my head forever!! I knew I had to write this down before I lost it.**

**I don't own Batman crying **

Multi-millionaire, Bruce Wayne, was walking down the street when he heard a gunshot. He froze, instincts kicking in. Almost unconsciously, he turned towards the noise. He looked down a small, dark street with untidy houses on either side, and cautiously began down the menacing lane. Bruce saw someone run out of the house he had heard the gunshot come from. Knowing he wouldn't easily catch a man with a gun while he was in civilian clothes, he simply took out his cell phone and dialed 9-1-1. After he had given the address to the woman on the other end, he closely examined the house.

Though the home seemed cozier and slightly more cared for then the rest of the houses on the street, it was never the less quite foreboding. The tan paint on the house was chipping in several areas, and dirty in most places. The white trim around the door was now a light brown, while the concrete steps leading up to the door were chipping on the corners. The sparse grass was patched with light brown and pale green; however, you could tell that at least an attempt had been made to plant flowers in front of the house.

Slowly Bruce made his way up the walk, and opened the door. A horrible sight met his eyes.

On the floor in the front hall where two bodies. Their hands where clasped together as if their last moments had been spent pleading for their lives. One of the bodies, Bruce could tell, was a woman. She had golden-brown hair, though at that moment it was matted with blood, and shabby, though well cared for, clothes. The man lying beside her had dark brown hair and large, strong hands, though those too, were covered in blood.

Bruce looked up from the horrible scene, and tried to push back a flood of memories. He hoped they didn't have any children to take care of.

As he skirted around the bodies, he thought about how such a nice looking couple could be murdered in such a horrible way. He slowly looked through the house and recognized signs of attempts at a hurried escape.

He came to a small second bedroom and stopped in his tracks. His earlier wish that the couple didn't have a family was shattered. The room had light pink walls and a small bed with a few threadbare dolls. Clothing about the size of an eight to ten year-old girl were strewn around the room, and draws where thrown open. He wondered where the girl was; if she too had been murdered, he hadn't yet seen a body.

Bruce was taking all of this in when he heard a sniffle. He stopped. The small, thin bed skirt was moving slightly. Bruce crouched to the ground and slowly lifted the material.

He saw a large pair of beautiful, sky blue eyes, and heard a frightened whimper. The girl tightly clutched a tiny, white bunny with a yellow ribbon tied around its neck.

"What's your name?" he asked the terrified child.

She simple looked at him with large, haunted eyes, as the sound of sirens filled the air.

Bruce heard someone bang down the door, and then curse loudly. He supposed they had found the bodies, and would now deal with them. With that thought, he turned back to the silent child. He again asked her name and received a barely audible response.

"Claire."

"Claire?" Bruce hesitantly asked, "Would you please come with me?"

The little girl started to crawl out from under the bed, but at that instant, the door was opened with a crash.

"Mr. Wayne!" said a female police officer "What are you doing here?"

"Just walking down the street, Montoya, when I came upon this¼ " Here he trailed off, not entirely sure what to call this.

"Have you taken care of them?" he whispered, glancing towards Claire who was now sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"Yes, do you want me to take her?" Montoya asked, giving the girl a sympathetic smile.

Bruce looked at the little girl for a second and shook his head, "No, I think I'd rather do it." With that, he bent down towards Claire and offered her his hand. She took it uncertainly and tightly held her bunny.

Walking slowly so that Claire could keep up with his long strides, he exited the house through the back door so they could avoid the front hall. He took her round to the front of the house and there met Commissioner Gordon.

"Mr. Wayne!" the commissioner said with surprise, "Do you know this girl?" He glanced toward Claire and then back to Bruce.

"No, I was just walking down the street when I came upon the scene." said Bruce with a glance towards the girl holding his hand. "Will she be okay?" he added in a whisper.

"I really don't know, we'll have to find a new safe house for her. All the other ones are too crowded." The commissioner sighed and gazed off into the distance, deep in thought.

At that moment, Montoya exited the house and walked over to the threesome. "Sir?" she said, speaking to the commissioner. "We've-" There she stopped and glanced towards Claire, who was still clutching her bunny and Bruce's hand.

"I'll go." Bruce said, leading Claire to the sidewalk where she could sit down.

As Commissioner Gordon and Montoya talked, Bruce sat beside Claire and thought about the girl holding his hand.

She was a little small for her age, though apparently healthy. Her small, nimble hands where white from clasping onto her bunny so hard and her cheeks were streaked with tear stains. Haunted eyes looked out into the distance, no doubt, recalling recent, painful memories. As her hair blew in the wind, she said, "Why? I don't understand" She turned to look at Bruce, eyes filled with the knowledge that no 9 year old should have to bear. The depth in her eyes shocked Bruce, and his heart was moved by the despai he saw. The only other time he had seen that look was¼ .

"Mr. Wayne?" It was the commissioner.

"Yes?" Bruce asked absently, still dazed by the realization that had run through him.

"I'll take her now; we'll just have to work something out. I have to find a place, don't I?" He ran his hand through his hair and looked to Bruce. Then, turning towards the child, he stretched out his hand and reached for hers. The response was quite surprising. Instead of letting go of Bruce's hand, she held on to it even more tightly. Hiding behind his large frame, she shook her head.

Bruce then made his decision, and turning to the commissioner said, "A place for her, huh?" He turned back to Claire and looked at her. One glance was all he needed. Abruptly he said, "I'll take her."

**No, there will not be a romantic relationship between Bruce and Claire (I know some of you sick people were thinking it!!)**

**Until next time ya'll!!**

**sailormoonie17**

**Don't forget to review!! **


	2. Chapter 2

Yay!! Second chapter and I actually have a few reviews!!! I'm very thankful to those people who took the time to review. It always pays to review!! Normally writers are just more motivated when they get more reviews, which makes them update faster, so I have no clue why some people don't feel the need to review. Of course, here I am just babbling, back to the story! I've also tried something different with divider things since the asterisks (little star things) didn't convert to the site or something.  
First sight of the formidable Wayne Manor, and Claire knew she would have a hard time there. The large grounds were empty of people and very lonely, just too quiet for a lively girl of nine. The nearest neighbor was miles away, and Bruce hadn't said anything about any other children her age.  
Bruce. She looked towards him again.  
Ebony hair, non-descript and distant eyes, hard face. Under the ice-cold appearance though, there was a heart of gold. Claire had always been able to read people well, even if they did their best to hide it. She was a people person; one of her favorite things to do was make people feel better, change them. She meet people who acted cold, distant, and mean. However, there was always a reason behind it; most people just didn't try to find out why. They were her projects, not lab rats, definitely not lab rats, but projects. She would be extra nice, inviting, and considerate till there icy façade melted. It never failed, and at the end, Claire would have a new friend. Bruce was lonely, that was his problem. He was changed by something…Claire just wasn't sure what.  
"We're here." a voice said.  
It was Alfred, Bruce's valet. When Claire had first spotted him, she liked him immediately. He was around 60, tall, and very formal. She loved his British accent, and saw that he was very devoted to 'Master Bruce', it was just kind of hard to notice.  
Claire followed Bruce up large steps in front of the house and watched him open massive, oak doors that looked hundreds of years old.  
"This house has been in my family for one hundred years." Bruce said, stepping inside.  
As soon as the sound of the front doors closing with a small bang echoed through the mansion, a small figure ran down the first flight of stairs.  
"Who's that?" he asked.  
Claire quickly stepped behind Bruce. Who was this boy? Why hadn't Bruce said anything about him?  
"Claire, this is Dick. Dick, Claire." Bruce introduced the two nine-year-old children. "Dick has been staying with me the past few months, and so will you"  
"Wait, she's staying here? Why"  
Claire's mind was racing. Dick? Who was he? Why did Bruce have him here? A family member? His own child? Then where was the mom?  
There Alfred wisely interrupted. "Master Dick, would you like to help pick out what we're going to have for dinner"  
Though normally thrilled with this opportunity, Dick hesitantly followed Alfred to the kitchen. He kept turning back to look at Claire with a questioning look until they were out of view.  
"I'll show you're your room." Bruce began up the flight of stairs Dick had just descended and then took a right. He opened the door to a beautiful room.  
Its light blue walls and off-white trim were very charming. Its size (compared to the rest of the rooms in Wayne Manor) was quite small. A large poster bed was against the wall with white, gossamer hangings. The room had dark hardwood floors and a dark armoire was on the wall opposite the bed. "Dick's room is across the hall in case you get lonely. My bedroom is down the hall, and we should be having dinner in about an hour. Will you be all right?" He had a worried look on his face, he remembered after his parents died he had just wanted to be alone. He had loved and hated the people around him, not wanting them to go away, but wanting the people to stop pitying him. It had just made it worse when they had tried to comfort him; it's not like they could have changed anything, no matter how much they said they were sorry. He wanted to say that own parents had been killed when he was just her age, he just wasn't sure how to say it. Instead of mentioning it, Bruce, after seeing Claire nod in answer to his question, slowly backed out of the room.  
When Claire was sure he was down the hall she burst into hushed tears. "Mama!? Daddy?! Where are you?! Why did you leave?" Claire sobbed into her arm, pleading with someone to just bring them back. She couldn't live without them, how was she supposed to? It wouldn't be long until they put her in a home. An orphanage, what would that be like!  
After her cries had died down to sniffles and deep breaths, someone knocked on her door. She instantly quieted. Who was it? After a moment of tense silence, the door creaked open. A small, ebony head poked through the opening.  
"Hi," he whispered, "Your name's Claire right"  
"The boy from earlier!" she thought.  
"So why are you here?" he asked, stepping inside her room and closing the door.  
Not sure how to respond, Claire stayed silent.  
Well, Bruce is taking care of me." Dick said.  
"Why?" Claire blurted with out thinking.  
Dick immediately became quiet, and an awkward silence was left in the room. After a moment of this Dick ventured, "He's taking care of me; I'm not part of his family of anything." His eyes moved to rest on the floor, and Claire suddenly asked, "Do you want to sit down?" She motioned towards the bed and scooted over.  
"Thanks." said Dick with a small smile. "Let me start from the beginning.  
"My parents were the 'Flying Graysons' for Haley's Circus. I was raised around acrobatics and joined their team when I was very young, probably six. One day I heard Haley talking to someone. Anthony Zucco" Here Dick shivered and his eyes hardened. When Claire made a move to touch him, though, he swiftly got back to his story. "Zucco threatened Haley about something; he wanted some money I think. When Haley started yelling at Zucco to get away from his circus, Zucco said that he would get him back. He meant it, too." Dick paused again, taking a deep breath, and this time didn't move when Claire placed a hand on his arm, a worried look in her eyes. "Before the show that night I saw Zucco in the main tent. When my parents and I made out way to the ropes, he ran out of the tent. I tried to tell my parents, but…" Dick trailed off again and then started back up. "The show started. I did a few flips, and then my dad put me down on the platform. He went to get my mom and when they were in midair…the rope…broke…." Dick whispered the last part in a choked sort of voice, and Claire's eyes widened and filled with tears. "Bruce was sponsoring the show," said Dick in a shaky whisper, "He was there that night. When the police came they said they'd have to find a safe house for me because I was a material witness. They aren't too easy to find, safe houses, and Bruce just blurted out, 'I'll take him.' It really surprised me." The two children were again quiet. Claire didn't say anything, knowing only too well how little words could do in a situation like this. She only looked at Dick, giving him time to gather his thoughts. It was good that Claire was there to give silent comfort and he quickly attempted to hide his feelings. "Bruce acts pretty cold, but he can be fun sometimes. I'm lonely a lot, so it's nice you're here now!" With that last sentence Dick perked up fairly quickly, but then he asked, "How'd Bruce pick you up"  
Claire didn't really want to share anything yet, but it seemed only fair since Dick had shared his history.  
After repeating her accounts, Claire felt much better. She wanted to think over everything she had heard about that night, but, instead, there was a knock on the door.  
"Time for dinner you two"  
Dick and Claire sighed, but got up for dinner, both of their minds with two people not in this world anymore.  
Like my ending??!! Okay, I hope everyone like this, and I'll update ASAP. FYI I'm changing the name from Orphan to Orphans (big difference, right?) Why? Because everyone at Wayne Manor (except Alfred, though I'm not sure) is an orphan, sooo…yeah…. Anyways just review and I'll be happy and update faster! Also, if anyone has checked out my Sailor Moon fanfic, I PROMISE I'm going to update that really soon! Think that's all for announcement things…. BYE!  
Sailormoonie17


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, new Batman chapter! Don't forget to review, and I'll update when I can. I don't own Batman, unfortunately. However, I do own Claire. She's my character and no one can take her! Other then that though, I got nothin'. I would also like to dedicate this story to my twin, Sarah. She's the best twin a girl could have, and if it weren't for her there would be no story.  
Here we go!  
Enjoy!**

A few months passed in peace. Claire and Dick became very close, as they were each other's only companion; Alfred too busy taking care of everything and Bruce often absent. They read and watched TV together, often detective related things. They ran around on the large grounds, or played games like Battleship, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and Yogi Bear.  
When Bruce was home, however, they did whatever they could with him. He taught them to swim, and taught them lots of martial arts and gymnastics (though Dick already knew a lot of that) He would fence with them and other things or just relax. It was good for both of the children to be around some one else who had lost their own parents, but they still didn't know anything about Bruce's past.  
They were all getting along pretty well when one day Commissioner Gordon came to see Bruce. They went into Bruce's study to talk privately.  
"Zucco has been found in Gotham City, and we're looking for a safe house for Dick." began the commissioner.  
Dick gasped. He and Claire had been eavesdropping, hoping to hear something about themselves. Dick's eyes widened and then his face scrunched up in anger. Claire looked at him worriedly.  
"As soon as we capture him we can put Dick in a proper orphanage. I just thought you would want to know. " Commissioner Gordon said to a thoughtful Bruce.  
This time it was Claire's turn to gasp.  
"Thanks for telling me." said Bruce. "I just hope everything will turn out all right for him. For both of them." he sighed and looked out the window.  
"Yes." murmured Gordon, waiting for Bruce to surface from his thoughts. "That's all." said the commissioner finally, rising from his chair.  
"Yes, thank you for coming." Bruce also rose from his chair and escorted the commissioner to his study door.  
Bruce opened the door and looked around, expecting to find two little eavesdroppers. No one was there. He looked towards Commissioner Gordon and walked to the front hall with him.  
"That was kind of close." whispered Claire from her hiding spot she shared with Dick. "He's out there some where." Dick snarled.  
"Who?" asked Claire warily.  
"Zucco" Dick spat the name out. "He's the one. The one who killed my parents"  
Claire's eyes widened. "What are you thinking of doing, Dick? I don't like that look you have on your face"  
Indeed, Dick had so much hatred and anger on his face he looked ready to kill. He sure did want to. After a second of deep breaths and concerned faces, Dick said "Nothing," quite calmly, though his eyes betrayed his strong emotions, "let's just go to bed"  
"It's only 7-"  
"I know!" Dick exclaimed agitatedly and then quickly tried to make amends by saying, "It's just…I'm really tired tonight and…." not sure how to go on, he simply sighed.  
"It's okay, just please, don't do anything too crazy. I know Zucco may be out, but let the Commissioner Gordon handle him. Or the police! Just don't get in to any trouble." Claire clasped her hands, pleading with Dick, distress evident on her face and in her voice. "Whatever gave you that idea?" Dick said, trying to appease Claire's emotional plead. "Then you promise you won't do anything drastic"  
"Claire, just let me go to bed." Dick made a move for the door and Claire let him go.

**Okay, this chapter is a little shorter then I normally make it, but I felt this was the right place to end it. Can anyone guess what's going to happen in the next chapter? I'll give you a hint. You might want to check out Robin's Reckoning from Batman: The Animated Series. Don't forget to review, if you do I'll update a lot faster! Oh, and those games I mentioned earlier are actual games from the 50's and 60's and maybe 70's. I did this because if you watch The Animated Series, you'll notice that the cars everyone drives and clothes they wear, and even the guns they use are sort of old-fashioned, specifically from the 40's or 50's. So you'll be seeing a lot of things from that era, like songs or brand names.**

**Until next time!**

**Sailormoonie17**


	4. Chapter 4

**This goes to Sarah again!! My best friend EVER!!! On fanfiction, she's known as missymee-mee, and she has a REALLY great Naruto story, fo anyone who reads those. I love her very much, and the inspiration for this story actually came from her, and our friendship! I think that's all...wait...wait for it...OH YEAH!! Sorry for taking so long to update. I haven't been very motivated, my brain power's running low, my teachers feel the need to kill me, and Thanksgiving was just last week and family and blah blah blah...and I was grounded. I know, I'm very bad, but whatever. Here is the story! **

Dick Grayson felt confined and suffocated under the sheets. He twisted and turned, trying to become comfortable as his palms became

sweaty and his heart beat faster and faster. The silence was slowly getting to him, and he was convinced that the only sounds in the whole

mansion were his heavy breathing and the incessant ticking of the grandfather clock. His mind was going even faster then his heart. His

thoughts constantly turned from Claire, to Bruce, his parents, and Zucco. The guilt of what he was about to do weighed heavy, though his

thirst for revenge accounted for much more.

He slowly moved towards the edge of the bed. Every time he made a sound, he stopped, as did his heart. He made slow, but steady,

progress to the edge of the bed, and his feet finally meet the ground. It squeaked. He froze. Only silence meet his ears, blessed silence.

He took a thick sweater out from under his bed and slipped it on over his pajama shirt. He put on jeans, thick socks, and comfortable

shoes. He moved to the window.

BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG BONG

Midnight. He slowly opened the window, trying to remain silent. Dick climbed out the window and down some vines hanging on the

side of the wall. His feet landed on the dew covered grass, and he shivered when he was met by an icy blast of wind. He looked up at the

dark windows, and started across the lawn.

Dick walked into town, and went into store after store, showing a picture he had of Zucco to everyone. No luck. He walked down

streets and alleys. He passed a small, dark street with untidy houses on either side. A tan house seemed to catch his eye, but he trudged

wearily on. It was almost one in the morning, and Dick hadn't found anything. He walked into a diner and showed the picture to an

elderly waitress.

"I've seen him! He's a regular in here. Doesn't tip well, pretty sour too." She scowled at the photo and asked Dick, "Watcha want

with him?"

"Just my dad; he and mom got in a fight and he walked out. Haven't seen him in a while and I thought I'd look for him." He made up a

story on the spot, hoping she wouldn't ask too many questions.

The woman hesitantly said "Well…I think he lives near some old warehouse on 36th street. Does your mom know you're out? I bet

she's worried, and you shouldn't be out so late"

"No ma'am, she doesn't, but I'll be all right. I just want to get my dad back." Dick put on a small smile, hoping he seemed the part of

a determined, brave, and hopeful kid just looking for someone.

She looked suspicious, but remained silent.

"Thanks for your help, ma'am." Dick gave a cheery wave, and walked to the door.

He may have been smiling a minute ago, but when Dick stepped out of the diner, there was a hard look on his face. 'This is it,' he

thought, 'this is what I've been waiting for' All Dick could think about was Zucco. He couldn't wait to take revenge, to turn Zucco over

to the police. Somehow he felt like that wasn't enough though, but what else could he do?

'Near an old warehouse, 36th street' he said in his mind. It wasn't a long walk, though Dick felt like it would never end. He was

excited and nervous at the same time. He was going to see Zucco! It had been almost a year since his parents' deaths, but rage was still

fresh inside him. On the other hand, how was he supposed to do it? Go tell some police officer that he knew where Zucco was? It just

didn't seem that easy, and what if no one believed him? He was uneasy, and his thoughts were cold as he walked down the streets of

Gotham.

He was nearing the docks when he spotted an old warehouse. "Just like that lady said." he muttered to himself.

He saw a small, run down house near the large building, and he crept towards it. He saw lots of boxes stacked on top of one another in

between the warehouse and house. He quickly decided to hide there, and try to listen in for any necessary information.

As he crouched among the crates, voices drifted to his hears.

"We have to get out of here. Everyone is after us"

"But boss, what about our material witness; don't we gotta take care of him"

"We can come back and do that, but right now we gotta save our butts"

"How we gonna find'em, boss"

"Somehow, but when we do, I'm gonna take care of him real good. Just like his parents"

At this comment, Dick's anger flared. He growled in his throat.

Suddenly he felt something behind him. He was lifted up off the ground by his jacket and a deep, scratchy voice said, "What have we

here?"

**Sorry I got it done so late, but here it is. Please don't forget to review!! I'm very proud of all my chapters really; I think I've just done a really good job with this story. Not so much for Moonlight Destiny though...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yeah, yeah, I know, I haven't updated in FOREVER!! But I've been so busy lately and maybe with school starting I'll be able to have a more controlled schedule and stuff, so I'll try to add chapters more regularly. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy! Please try to review! I don't even care what you write but to know that people actually are reading my story gives me a boost of confidence! **

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"Let me go!! I said to let me GO"

"Scream all you want my little material witness, because as soon as I find out a safe way to dispose of you, you're-" Zucco ran a hand across his throat and made a slicing sound, finishing the motion off with an evil cackle.

"We sure are lucky, boss, to have this kid play right into our hands, huh?"

"Yes, we sure are…" Zucco trailed away deep in thought as his minions shot evil, excited looks towards their frightened and panicking hostage.

"Well, boys, the easiest way to take care of this little monster, would be to throw him in the river, so hopefully it'll be a couple of days until anyone finds his body…. But we definitely have to leave tonight. If this kid could find us so easily, then there's no doubt that the police will. So, take care of him, will ya?"

Zucco's two sidekicks slowly advanced, fingering their knives. Dick was prepared to scream bloody murder and let the whole world hear when suddenly a menacing shadow swept into one of the big, burly men, swiftly knocking him out. Zucco turned around in surprise and his other minion dropped his knife in surprise, stuttering "Ba-Ba-Batman!"

Zucco said quickly and sharply, "Who's that?"

"You mean you haven't heard of me?" said a darker then average shadow coming from somewhere to Dick's left. The cloaked figure gave a dry chuckle. "Then that makes it all the more easier."

In the blink of an eye, he came out of the shadows and attacked the other one of Zucco's men with a flying kick and swift punch, knocking him to the ground.

Batman rounded on Zucco but in that instant, the man who had been standing watch outside of the warehouse came in and with a machine gun and started firing at Batman.

Using a rope shooting gun, Batman shot up into the rafters and the man followed him with the still whirling machine gun.

"Stop you fool! Do you know how old this warehouse is?! If you hit the right spot it could cave in," cried Zucco.

The man reluctantly stopped and a deathly silence was left.

But Dick watched in awe as Batman suddenly swooped down again and planted a firm kick on this man's head, rendering him unconscious.

Zucco was caught, but abruptly lunged for the fallen man's gun, and aimed it toward his captive.

Everyone froze.

"If you make another move, Batty, I really will shoot the kid."

Silence reigned supreme for several moments. Then Zucco spoke again. "Go over near the boy, but if I see you touch him, there won't ever be a chance to save him."

Batman slowly made his way to Dick, but abruptly someone crashed through the warehouse doors, and Zucco, surprised, dropped the gun.

Dick saw that the person was Commissioner Gordon! Zucco turned around and tried to make a run for it, but other police officers cut him off.

Dick saw police officers everywhere--but no Batman…where had he gone? Dick looked around once more and saw Commissioner Gordon coming towards him.

"You weren't playing on trying get revenge on Zucco, were you?"

Dick gave him a guilty look and bowed his head.

"Well, no harm down, but I'll have to get you back to Mr. Wayne now. He's probably asleep, and so hasn't realized that you were gone… but I have known him to stay up late sometimes," the Commissioner thought for a moment, and then gestured for Dick to get into his police car.

The ride to Wayne Manor was silent. After a couple of minutes, Dick pretended to fall asleep so he wouldn't have to answer any awkward questions from the Commissioner.

When they pulled up in front of the mansion, the slowly aging man woke up Dick, got out of the car, and made his way up the front steps, waiting for Dick to reach the top. When they came to rest in front of the large doors, Dick opened one of them and cautiously stepped inside.

He saw a distant hall light on and then heard shuffling footsteps coming down the hall. When the figure got close enough he saw it was Bruce! Dick sure was surprised, but Commissioner didn't seem to be.

"Commissioner Gordon! Dick!! What are you doing out of bed? And how did you get out of the house?" asked a very astonished Bruce who started to explain that he had just been getting a midnight snack.

"It's a long story; is it all right if I call you in the morning?"

"Of course," said Bruce "You should probably get some sleep"

The commissioner gave an apologetic smile, nodded his head, and stepped out the door.

When Bruce wasn't looking, Dick started tiptoeing towards the stairs, but before he could even touch the bottom step, a soft yet firm voice stopped him.

"Dick, what where you doing?"

"…"

"Come on, you're probably hungry. Let's get you a snack."

Dick hesitantly followed Bruce to the kitchen and hopped up onto the counter as Bruce opened up the fridge and rummaged through it for a minute.

"So…care to tell me what happened?"

Dick sighed and shook his head, accepting the glass of milk Bruce offered him.

Bruce nodded his head and grabbed a plate of cookies covered with Saran wrap that was in the fridge. He put them in the microwave and then got onto the counter top across from Dick and looked at him thoughtfully. After a minute of this, Bruce pulled back his head, leaned it against the cabinets behind him and sighed.

Dick looked at him suspiciously but remained silent.

The microwave beeped, signaling that it was done. Getting out the now hot and melty chocolate cookies, Bruce looked back at Dick.

"Why did you go after him, Dick?" His voice was weary as he looked at him.

Dick tried to feign innocence, "Go after who?"

"You know who, Dick….I won't condemn you for what you've done because I understand all too well, but if you felt like you needed to avenge your parents, you could have told me. You can tell me anything. I would have tried to help _somehow_" Bruce's eyes were serious and his face was set as he looked at Dick.

Dick sighed and looked away. He reached for a steaming cookie and slowly put it into his mouth.

"And, Dick, if you don't want to talk with me you can always say something to Claire; she told you to not do anything you know…"

Dick's head shot up. "How did you know about that?!"

Bruce smiled, "Well, I am Batman-oops…"

Dick's eyes grew large and Bruce's smile fell from his face.

"…You weren't really supposed to hear that…"

Dick quickly finished the other cookie he had in his mouth and said, "YOU'RE B-"

Bruce quickly put his hand over Dick's mouth and said calmly, "You don't want the whole house to hear, do you?"

Dick shook his head and Bruce removed his hand. The young boy looked up at Bruce in disbelief. "I always knew you were pretty cool, but this is amazing! You fight all the bad guys all around the city! You're a hero!!"

Bruce gave a small smile, "Of course, that won't keep me from sending you to bed, you know,"

Dick pouted but put down his glass and jumped from the counter top. "Good night" he said and trudged to the door.

"Dick?"

He stopped and turned around, "Yes?"

"Let's keep this our secret, okay?"

"I can't even tell Claire?"

Bruce thought for a moment and said, "For now, let's have it just you and me, all right?"

Dick nodded and went upstairs.

Bruce chuckled again and started to clean the kitchen.

Upstairs, Dick crept into bed with a smile on his face. He snuggled under his covers and tried to fall asleep; he knew he'd be really tired in the morning…

His eyes flew open, "Wait…" he thought. "Does Bruce really trust me that much? It really kind of surprises me…. And that he even let it slip in the FIRST place…unless...Nooo," Dick shook his head, "That can't be it…he wouldn't intentionally let it slip…would he? Maybe he WANTED me to know…I guess; that's kinda the only thing that makes sense though, because it doesn't seem like he would ever let something SLIP…" Dick shrugged. "I guess I'll never really know…" He closed his eyes again and promptly fell asleep.

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**I'm sorry this took soooo long!! And, by the way, in case any of ya'll didn't really get this before, Claire needs to stay in a safe house (like Dick) because she's a material witness and there's something about safety. (I don't anything about this stuff I just kinda took it from Dick's background) Anyways, this is a really long chapter for me and I hope I can deliver more of this kinda stuff. Thanks to my two friends who really support my writings, Missymee-mee and DarkmistressintheShadows (they have really great stories!!)**


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